CIOs work across the C-suite, assisting their peer executives in combined efforts to achieve organizational goals. This includes CEOs, CFOs, and CHROs. One important relationship that might not immediately come to mind is the one with the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
CMOs are the corporate executives responsible for managing marketing activities and strategies within their organizations. They are responsible for areas such as marketing communications, market research, public relations, brand management, and other areas.
Technology executives and CMOs can work together in a number of ways that are mutually beneficial, and the relationship has become a key one for enterprises.
The Importance of the CIO-CMO Relationship
“CMO-CIO collaboration is crucial,” says Kathy Kay, senior vice president and CIO at financial services firm Principal Financial Group (NASDAQ: PFG). “To drive personalized and relevant experiences [for customers], alignment between these two leaders is like oxygen.”
Technology connects third-party applications such as automation tools and customer service software to drive essential functions for the marketing organization, which is ultimately accountable for understanding customer needs and delivering on brand promises, Kay says.
How CMOs Rely on Technology
Much of the marketing function today uses data heavily and relies on technology solutions such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and applications to interact with customers, Kay says.
At Principal, the relationship between the CIO and CMO has strengthened over the years. Both of these leaders and their teams “serve as strategic partners to our businesses,” guiding the enhancement of customer experiences and looking for ways to create new revenue streams and build customer-centric solutions, Kay says.
Drivers of Closer Collaboration
Among the factors driving closer relationships between CIOs and CMOs are the ever-evolving technology landscape and customer demand for better services. Digital transformations and the value of information have made it increasingly important for organizations to ensure that marketing teams have the resources they need to succeed.
“Today, more than ever before, data is one of the most powerful tools to understand behaviors, create personalized solutions and anticipate customer needs,” Kay says.
Other reasons for having a strong relationship between the CIO and CMO are the increasing concerns about how companies are using AI and ML technology and what they are doing with customer data. CMOs need to be able to articulate this clearly to customers, and CIOs can help them understand this.
CIOs and CMOs can also work together to ensure that their organizations are complying with data privacy regulations, which can help build the trust of customers, Kay says. “This requires a very close relationship between the teams creating personalized experiences and technical teams that help make the data available to drive those, she says.
Jay Upchurch, executive vice president and CIO at software company SAS (STO: SAS), is also a believer in establishing a strong relationship with the CMO.
“It absolutely makes sense for CIOs and CMOs to collaborate,” Upchurch says. “CMOs are under constant pressure to drive revenue and build opportunities in a crowded marketplace. The way to stand out today is by customizing offers to customers in the moments that matter.”
The CMO at SAS, Jennifer Chase, relies on technology tools such as data analytics to help create meaningful customer experiences, Upchurch says. Her team has made digital marketing a priority.
“I’m fortunate because Jenn and I align philosophically,” Upchurch says. “We’re empathetic to each other’s organizations. We’ve intentionally aligned resources within our divisions to make collaboration easier, and it’s working. IT and marketing work closely together daily. I’m an advocate for marketing, and Jenn advocates for IT.”
Customers are driving the trend toward closer collaboration between IT and marketing, Upchurch says. “In fact, if the customer isn’t already at the heart of every action marketing and IT organizations take, its leaders should step back and adjust strategy,” he says.
For example, if a customer isn’t well served by how the IT organization mobilizes and empowers staff to support them, that’s an opportunity lost, Upchurch says. “If marketing relies on outdated ways of reaching the customer instead of modern methods that prioritize data for making meaningful decisions, that’s an opportunity lost,” he says.
Building Stronger Alignment
Organizations can take steps to ensure strong partnerships between their technology and marketing executives. One is to make sure the CIO and CMO are on the same page regarding overall business strategy.
“The CIO and CMO are both in place to lead their respective functions to support the business strategy, and we both have a shared responsibility to enable the organization’s growth,” Kay says. “We engage in regular conversations and critical collaboration during our strategic planning process to ensure that any investments are aligned with our overall business strategy.”
IT needs to have a service provider mindset, “and that has led us to create a group of business relationship manager roles,” Upchurch says. “The business relationship manager who represents marketing helps IT walk in marketing’s shoes. It’s one of the ways we’re able to partner so well.”
IT “can’t be too proud to honestly advise on the best path forward in order to meet our internal customers’ goals,” Upchurch says. “Regarding marketing, that means leveraging our business relationship managers and my relationship with Jenn to gain a better understanding of marketing’s vision, so we can determine the best technologies to support them.”
Sometimes that means Upchurch and his team advise marketing to keep things in-house as far as technology tools. “Other times, that means recommending an appropriate [external partner] for a better experience,” he says. “It’s important to be transparent about what IT can and can’t do to build and maintain the trust in our relationship.”
A Customer-Centric Approach
Another good practice is to establish a customer-centric approach within the organization.
“Customer needs to drive many of our decisions, inclusive of our use case selection” for technology solutions, Kay says.
“As a CIO-CMO duo, we look at ways technology can enhance their experience, improve service quality, or offer new products and services that meet evolving market demands.”
And continuing to deploy data-driven analysis to meet customer needs is extremely important. “Using data-driven analysis helps establish common ground, reduce potential friction across business lines when determining priorities, and create a safe space for brainstorming solutions to customer pain points,” Kay says. “We also leverage data analytics to identify areas where technology can improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and mitigate risks.”
The Wrap
The relationship between CIOs and CMOs has become increasingly important as technology and data play bigger roles in marketing and customer engagement. By aligning strategies, taking a customer-centric approach, and leveraging data analytics, CIOs and CMOs can work together effectively to meet organizational goals and deliver better experiences for customers.
Strong collaboration will be key for enterprises looking to stay competitive in today’s digital landscape.
